


Saving Elena

by Thecsquirrel



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, blood and bullets, my entry into how Nate finds out Chloe and Nadine, post-Tusk, this got super long, this is the closest I can get to explicit sexy times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 18:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12238692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thecsquirrel/pseuds/Thecsquirrel
Summary: Elena's been kidnapped and Nate needs help from the whole crew.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I saw this amazing sketch of Nadine by myaltariah on tumblr and my word, if it didn't give me some ideas. This got way longer than I planned and it went into an unexpected (but hopefully good) direction. Who knows. Hopefully, it doesn't suck or get too rambly.  
> All mistakes are my own.
> 
> Inspirational Art: : https://myaltariah.tumblr.com/post/165550276827/heavy-stones-fear-no-weather-a-little-sketchy

**Part I. Routine, Interrupted**  
_Amsterdam_

Recently, on mornings when the July weather was still crisp and cool-the morning sun not yet high in the sky-Nadine dragged her yoga mat to the 3rd floor patio to do her routine. In truth, yoga annoyed her, but she liked the challenge and the discipline, so like clockwork after a usual set of push-ups and sit-ups, off she went to her mat.

Nadine was barely into her routine when a still yawning Chloe, emerged from the modest kitchen with a steaming mug of tea. Clad only black boy shorts and a tank top, she sat down on the worn leather couch that faced the glass doors that opened onto the patio and relaxed back into the cushions. She stretched long bare legs out and rested her feet on the dark wood of the coffee table. Chloe drew the mug to her body and held it against the material of her white tank top and kept her eyes affixed to what had become her favorite pastime: watching Nadine.

For months she had watched Nadine with stolen looks and surreptitious glances. Her gaze would linger when she was sure the other woman wasn't looking and sometimes she couldn't look away fast enough. It was six months before when the Western Ghats of India had tried, tested, and eventually forged their unlikely friendship. And it was nearly a month earlier when a run of the mill art heist had unearthed the truth that the two women had been dancing around for months. Presently, there was nothing left to dance around.

Focused gray eyes followed the sculpted symmetry of Nadine's back muscles as the woman moved into warrior pose. The morning sun brought out the red undertones of her mahogany hued skin as she held her arms taught, muscles in relief against the dark blue racer-back sports bra she wore. Chloe's eyes were transfixed as she watched the play of muscles across her back. With practiced ease, Nadine moved into warrior pose 1, sending her arms above her head with her palms together. Chloe watched the flex of her trapezium and her deltoid muscles and she felt a delicious pull in her groin. She sighed to herself and picked up her mug of tea.

She desperately wanted to just slide open the patio door and drape her self against the other woman's back and hold her close, before she divested her of her clothes - neighbors be damned. A smug smirk pulled at her lips as she remembered a week earlier, when she had done just that, and the women had given the neighbors in the row home on the right quite a sight. Along with their unintentional bout of exhibitionism and the fact that Nadine hadn't been able to actually complete a full routine in nearly a week, Chloe had been "banned" from the patio. Chloe tousled her hair in a small show of sexual frustration. As far as she was concerned, they were really going to have to renegotiate these terms. 

Chloe had barely sipped at her tea, which had cooled considerably, while she continued to be mesmerized by the former mercenary's graceful movements in and out of poses. Reflexively, Chloe licked her lips as Nadine spread strong thighs shoulder width apart and started to transition into downward dog. The skin tight knee length leggings she wore left absolutely nothing to the imagination and Chloe was ever so grateful that she no longer had to imagine the sight, the feel, the smell, the taste or touch of the other woman. She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down hard as her pulse jumped. She was about 10 seconds from ignoring Nadine's unfair "ban" when her cell phone broke the salacious train of her thoughts. 

With a groan, Chloe leaned forward and grabbed her phone.  
" 'Lo?". She pressed the phone against her ear. 

For a beat there was no response and Chloe shrugged, ready to hit the end button. Static erupted across the line and she winced. "Hullo," she said more firmly.

"Chloe!" The frantic voice was familiar.

Long legs hit the floor as she sat up straight. "Nate? Is that you?"

"Yeah, yeah." There was pause and more static. "It's me." 

Chloe stood and headed towards the kitchen. She could barely hear. "I can barely hear you. What's up?"

"Kind of on the move, look," he began. There was shuffling and what was the distinct sound of the whir of a chopper.

Chloe swept her hair over her shoulder as she turned on the Nespresso for Nadine with her free hand. "Nate. What's going on?"

"I-I need your help." His voice was fading in and out. 

"Nate, you need to tell me what's happening." Concern laced her voice. There was a muffled shout and another voice far away, just as scratchy. "What the hell is happening, Nate?"

"Look, I don't have a lot of time. They took her, Chloe. They fucking took her!"

Chloe stopped moving and gripped the phone. "Ok, mate. Slow down. Talk to me. Took who?” 

“It's Elena. El-Elena's gone...gone." His voice faded out and there was a blast of static. She wasn't sure what else he said but she heard Elena. "...to find her!" His frantic voice cut back. "I need your help here."

Chloe was completely awake and alert now. She walked back out into the living room to see Nadine just walking inside. 

Nadine's wide smile immediately fell as she took in Chloe's creased brow and the way she chewed on her thumb nail. She was worried. Nadine sat down on the coffee table and waited and watched. 

"You've got my help, just- just tell me where to be." Chloe leaned against the doorframe that led to the kitchen and scrunched up her face as a shrill round of static ripped through her ears again. "I'm bringing Ross with me, okay." She wasn't sure if Nate could actually hear her.

"Fine, bring--" The static ate his words again. "-send the coordinates--" Another blast of interference. "-Sully" A pulse. "Meet."

"I'll be there." Chloe ended the call and tossed her phone towards the couch. She rubbed at her temples and let out a heavy breath before looking up and finding brown eyes fixed on her. 

"What do you need?" Were the first words out of Nadine's mouth as she watched her partner.

Chloe managed a grateful smile as she walked towards the other woman and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you." Long fingers combed back a loose curl that had broken free from the mass of curls piled atop Nadine's head in a ponytail. "I mean really, it's okay and I'll totally understand if you don't want to, but maybe-

Nadine interrupted her ramble with both hands firmly grasping Chloe's hips and tugging, so that she was standing between Nadine's legs. Golden brown eyes bored into gray. "Chloe,"she said firmly. "What do you need?"

This time when Chloe leaned forward, she cupped Nadine's cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It was a moment to ground herself. "Nate needs my help."

Nadine said not a word, merely arched an eyebrow.

"Elena, his wife," Chloe continued. "She's been kidnapped. Something about ransom. It was hard to hear." Chloe sighed and dragged her fingers through black hair. 

Nadine nodded. "And he needs your help." It wasn't a question.

Chloe met her eyes and nodded. She drew in a breath. "I know he's not your favorite."

With a sigh, Nadine stood up and slung her arms around Chloe's waist, pulling the woman into her embrace. "Do you want to help Drake?"

Dark eyebrows creased in brief confusion. "Yes," she answered.

"Then let's go help." 

"But," Chloe started, but Nadine cut her off with a look.

"No buts. If you go, I go." She shrugged a shoulder as if it was the most obvious response. 

Chloe looped her arms around Nadine's shoulders and pressed her forehead to the other woman's as they stood in each other's arms. She closed her eyes reverently and took a breath. Nadine Ross had been a constant surprise to the reformed thief and although sometimes she was frightened of the way her feelings about the other woman overwhelmed her, she knew Nadine felt the same. 

Chloe whispered out a soft "thank you" and they shared a slow kiss. Instinctively, they both knew that this would probably be their last quiet moment for the next few days.  
________________________________________  
**Part II. Fellowship of the Something**  
_Prague_

Nate had called in the cavalry and all of them (Nate, Sam, Sully, Chloe and Nadine) came together like the spokes on the wheel of an expensive all-terrain mountain bike hurtling down a Nepalese mountain pass at breakneck speed. 

Forty-eight hours of running in opposite directions had led them all to Prague. While Nate and Sam had followed the rules, and jumped through hoops and puzzles for the distorted and disguised figure on the video, Sully had scooped up Chloe and to his tempered surprise, Nadine, before the trio headed off to Croatia in the hopes of finding their mysterious kidnapper. 

Chloe had said she was on her way with her partner, and Sully had just grumbled for her to get a move on. The silver-haired pilot was pacing on the tarmac and nervously gnawing on his faintly smoldering cigar as he waited. Sully actually stopped gnawing on the soggy end of his cigar when he spotted Chloe and Nadine heading towards him on the tarmac in Brussels. Chloe's smirk was genuine and he couldn't help but return the grin, despite the fact that he kept one eye on the compact frame of the former Shoreline captain at her side. 

"Well, look at you darling!" Chloe fell into Sully's embrace.

"Hey yourself kiddo." He squeezed her hard and then gripped her by the shoulders to take her all in. No worse for the wear as far as he could tell. "So, uh-" he started as his eyes glanced right. 

Nadine had stopped at a small distance to give the two friends some privacy, but her dark eyes never wavered from Chloe. 

"Anything, you want to tell me, kiddo?" He kept his tone light as he arched a skeptical silver brow. 

Chloe chuckled. "Guess, you two need a formal introduction, huh?" Chloe stepped back and glanced back at Nadine. 

Nadine's features were void of any emotion one way or another. Her eyes were in what seemed to be their natural position -- on Chloe. She took two small steps forward and was suddenly by Chloe's side. Never one to let the tension get too heavy, Chloe looped her arm through Nadine's and tugged her close. Both of Sully's eyebrows rose high on his head as the mercenary let herself be tugged in close to the other woman without so much as a groan of disapproval or even something resembling shock. 

"Victor Sullivan. Nadine Ross." Chloe beamed and Nadine kind of jutted her chin at Sully in silent greeting. 

For a long heartbeat Sully stuck his cigar in between his back teeth and then chomped down as he took in the unlikely pair. And that was indeed the first thing that came to mind: a pair. Nadine was flush against Chloe's side and Sully was pretty sure that the sharp line of her jaw relaxed. As for Chloe, her lopsided smirk was firmly in place; she was happy.

Sully shrugged a shoulder and nodded back in Nadine's direction. "Good to have you aboard, Ross. I think we need all hands on deck."

Nadine agreed with a nod and then the newly minted trio loaded into the plane headed for Croatia.

Croatia had led them to a bar and then to a name. That name led to a bar brawl, a boat ride, and a stolen plane on route to the Czech Republic. They had found their man and with that hopefully Elena.  
________________________________________  
Once they were at altitude, Sully turned his head to look behind him, where Nadine sat comfortably with her eyes closed and her head resting against the headrest, while Chloe cleaned the cut on the knuckles of her left hand. Considering the broken jaws and smashed tables the trio had left in their wake, Sully was practically giddy that they were all still standing. 

"That was some nice work back there, Ross. You too, kiddo." He winked at Chloe and checked the horizon once more. 

Chloe eased herself into the co-pilot's seat with a relaxed huff. "It wasn't like you two left me any work." She chuckled and then threw a glance to a grinning Nadine. 

"Well, your reputation proceeds you Ross, glad to have your help."

Nadine just shrugged off the compliment and glanced down at her cleaned wounds. "You're not so bad yourself."

Sully laughed out loud. "You know, if we weren't in crisis mode I'd suggest the three of us go stir up some trouble and find some treasure." He looked over at Chloe who was now resting her eyes.

"Let's handle one heist at time, Sully."

"You in, Ross?" Sully kept his eye on the horizon.

Nadine let her eyes trail up the profile of Chloe's face and just watched the small smile tug at the woman's lips. "Ja. Sure, I"m in." Chloe opened one eye and peeked at her partner. "I've just got two rules."

"And let me guess, one of them is don't touch Chloe." They all shared a much needed laugh. 

Nadine's shoulders shook with silent laughter as she relaxed back into the seat. "Hey, I warned that guy." There was no remorse in her tone.

"You sure did, china. Like a whole five seconds." 

"And that's more than enough time to make a good life decision," she responded dryly. 

Chloe fully turned her head so she could see the smug smile that she knew the other woman was wearing. "Don't ever change, sweetheart."

Nadine knew Chloe was teasing, but she preened anyway and nibbled at her bottom lip to keep her smile at bay. "Piss off, I'm taking a nap." She winked and then closed her eyes. Sully's gravelly laughter was swallowed up by the drone of the engine.  
________________________________________  
**Part. III: Fancy Meeting You Here**  
_Central Bohemia 0500 hours:_

Black bridges and Gothic alleyways led to an Baroque Castle in Central Bohemia, nearly an hour away from Prague. The Karlštejn Castle sat atop the valley, nestled into the mountain side surrounded by stone walls and mounds of green that presently were shrouded in the waning twilight. Dawn's fingers had barely begun to scratch at the night sky, as Chloe drove the rented LandRover up over the gravel path towards their destination Sully's last check in with Nate and Sam had put them all on a collision course to this valley and this castle. If Elena's captors had simply been after King Charles' Crown jewels then things would have been simple, but as always, there was another artifact to find and another puzzle to unlock before the real treasure was found. Sword of Damocles? Holy Grail? King Arthur's sword? Who knew. And not a one of them cared honestly, as it was only Elena's safety that mattered. Hopefully now, they had gotten the upper hand or at least they had the illusion of surprise. 

The trio readied themselves just on the outskirts of the castle, with the rise of the wall and the tall trees providing a bit of cover. Chloe was settling the ear piece with a grimace as Nadine held out a slim looking black vest. Chloe rolled her eyes. "The vest, too?" she whined. "It doesn't really work with my outfit." She held out her arms and gave Nadine a moment to appraise her.

Customary khaki hiking pants, a maroon v-neck short sleeve shirt that was made of light breathable material, and her boots. Long sable hair was already gathered into a low ponytail. She smirked as Nadine rolled her eyes and draped the vest over her outstretched arm. 

"If you are going to insist on wearing some shade of red on all these excursions then you get to wear a vest. It just makes sense." She patted Chloe's cheek in a patronizing gesture before walking off to the back of the SUV to check her ammo.

Chloe pouted before making a show of begrudgingly putting on the relatively thin and lite-weight tactical armored vest. She snapped the appropriate clips and pulled the zipper mostly up. "Ugh." She was still pouting as she turned to face Nadine and Sully. "You really are no fun, china." 

"Oh, I'm fun." Nadine just grinned as she zipped her own vest all the way up and chambered a round in her Spas-12 shotgun with a one-handed pump. "Especially when you're alive," she finished. Gray eyes went wide as Chloe's spine stiffened with a noticeable shiver. 

Sully closed the trunk and looked to the sky with a knowing chuckle. "How do I always get stuck with the love birds," he grumbled mostly to himself. "You two love birds about ready?"

Nadine almost faltered in her step and Chloe just smiled. "Oh, quit bitchin', Sully. You know we have to find some way to keep you on your toes." Chloe smirked as she moved past him to walk in step with Nadine, who had started walking towards and unmarked path. 

Sully just let out a half-laugh, half-cough and fell in behind the two women.  
\--------------  
_0410 hours_  
Nadine and Chloe started on the top floor of the East Wing, as it appeared that Nate and Sam would be coming from the South West side of the map. Sully moved in from the North side. It was agreed they would sweep from bottom to top and keep as quiet as possible. Normally this place was a museum, but as they began to get the lay of the land, it was clear that the normal docents had been replaced by armed guards. At least they were on the right track. 

Nadine and Chloe cleared the top hallway in a series of simultaneous attacks to the five patrolling guards. They headed down the now cleared hallway prepared to separate as they moved to the floor below, when Sam's whisper-quiet voice came through the earpiece. 

"Meet in the throne room. 2nd floor left center. I found something." 

"Spill it kid." It was Sully.

"We're in the right place, but we need to get below."

"Puzzle anyone?" Chloe's exasperation came through clear.

"See you in a few." A relieved Nate crackled over the line. "Need to clear the floor."

Chloe glanced to her left. "Alright, partner, you go left and I'll go right?"

Brown eyes cut to the left for a quick moment before looking to her right. "Ja." Brown eyes dropped down to the sight of Chloe's cleavage underneath the half-zipped vest. She arched an admonishing brow. "Frazer." 

Chloe followed her line of sight of sight and huffed before zipping the vest all the way up. "Prude," she quipped with a lopsided grin before pecking Nadine's cheek and darting off to the right.

No one was watching, so Nadine didn't fight the toothy smile that spread across her face. Nadine headed left and down. On the second floor landing, she was beginning to get the feeling that she was following someone. The sight of a few bodies littering the carpeted floor confirmed her thoughts. She moved into an ornately decorated office where she found three more unconscious guards. She crouched down next to one guard and began to dig through his vest for id. She kept the shotgun gripped in her left hand as she pulled an id card from a vest pocket. Nadine let out a breath as she found nothing that would identify him as Shoreline employee. While she had reconciled her loss of her father's company, that didn't mean that she liked running into them out on jobs.

Chloe's voice crisply cracked across her earpiece. "Clear over here. Headed down."

Nadine touched her ear, ready to respond when she registered the soft footsteps. She turned with a snap of her ponytail and lifted her arm in protection, but it was too late. 

Standing over Nadine's prone body was an elated Nathan Drake. He dropped the table leg that had only moments before been slammed into the back of Nadine's head.

Nate fist pumped as looked at the now unconscious woman. "Ha! I fucking got you. Wait, till I show Sam." He grabbed Nadine by the vest and dragged her backwards toward the door. "Jesus, lady! You are like lifting a ton of bricks." After some straining, he hoisted Nadine up and mostly dragged her down the hallway and towards throne room.

"Hey Sam!", he called out. "Guess who I just found!" He was beyond pleased.

With a laborious groan, he dragged a still unconscious Nadine into the room and let her slump to the floor. He let out a grateful "whoop" as he caught his breath. "Christ, she is heavy! It's like a block of muscle!" The laughter died in his throat and the smile fell from his face as he finally registered the shock and worry on the faces of his friends. 

Their reactions were simultaneous. First there was Sully's face palm and grumbled, "Christ, kid." Which blended with Sam's, "Oh shit, Nate, no." However, he missed most of that as he realized Chloe was practically charging him. Her outstretched palms hit his shoulders hard, as she shoved him back with a feral growl. "What the fuck did you do, Nate!?"

Chloe dropped to her knees by Nadine's body. She gently rolled Nadine onto her back and ran long fingers across her brow and down her cheeks. She could see the pulse throbbing in her neck, but she pressed her two fingers against the warm column of her neck just to quell her most morbid thoughts. A quiet sigh fell from her lips and she then ran her hand beneath Nadine's curly ponytail, at the base of her neck feeling for a lump or worse. Her fingers were thankfully free of blood, but the woman was still unconscious. There was commotion and voices going on around her, but at the moment she was only focused on her partner, whose face she now cradled between her palms. "Any time you wanna' wake up there, china."

Nate's voice finally broke through the fog of her concern. "Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going here?" He chuckled nervously as he watched Chloe fuss over the woman who had once tossed him out of a window like bag of trash. 

Sam rubbed the back of his neck guilty and grimaced. "Well, you see Nat-

He started, but Chloe's voice cut over him. "You didn't tell him!?" She stared at Sam in disbelief. Sam shrugged and fished for a cigarette that he didn't have.

"Me!?" he responded with a squeak. He pointed an accusatory finger in her direction. "I thought you told him!"

Nate threw up his hand and Sully just leaned against a desk and watched. "Tell me what?" Nate roughly tore his fingers through his hair. "I'm still not sure why everyone is looking like I just kicked a puppy. For fucks sake, that's Nadine Ross. Do I need to remind everyone what that woman did to me!" Nate's voice rose another octave in frustration.

"We know!" Chloe spat back. "And I did tell you." 

Nate rubbed his hands down his face and fell back against the wall. "I'm still waiting for someone to tell me."

"You called me," Chloe pointed her finger at Nate. "And then I told you I was bringing my partner, Nadine Ross." She enunciated each syllable of Nadine's name.

Nate stood up straight and opened his mouth as if he was about to reply, but instead he furrowed his brow. "Shit," he said quietly. "I thought you said something about bringing your new boss. I thought you were making a joke." Nate just sighed and fell back against the wall. "Oh, man. And I-I just cracked Nadine Ross upside the head with a table leg." He let out a breath. "Oh, God. She's going to fucking kill me." He bent forward at waist and braced his hands on his knees. He looked as if he was contemplating throwing up.

Sam pursed his lips to keep from smiling and Sully just squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his brow in between his fingers. These kids really were going to be the death of him.

Chloe glared hard at Nate. "You won't have to worry about her." Nate's eyes grew wide in a bit of shock and bemusement.

"I get first dibs." Nadine's soft voice carried to Chloe's ears like a river rushing over dam. Slowly, Nadine opened her eyes and Chloe's gray eyes and lopsided smirk were there to greet her. Chloe's fingers were warm against her cheeks. "Help me up?"

"Are you sure you're ready?" She watched her with concern, but she moved back a bit and gripped Nadine's hand as she began to pull herself up into a seated position. Neither woman rushed. It took two tries, but Nadine sat up fully. She rested elbows on her bent knees and let her head hang down a bit as she concentrated on focusing. Chloe wanted to give her some space, but she also needed to have the other woman close. She sat back on her bent knees to Nadine's right side and rubbed gentle circles into the base of her spine. It was an action that in the privacy of their bed always worked to soothe and settle the woman, if she had a nightmare. They sat together like that for a quiet moment and just breathed. 

Nadine finally turned her head to the side and managed a small grin just for Chloe. "I'll be fine, really. Just a knock." She sat up straight and stretched out her legs. "Just need to get the cobwebs out. And then I'm gonna' put my fist through Nathan's Drake face." 

"Yep. She's fine." Nate called out as he watched the two women.

Chloe ran a thumb down Nadine's cheek, before addressing Nate, who knew to stay on the other side of the room. "Nate, you and I are going to have a very angry conversation when we get Elena back." She fixed her sharp gray eyes on her friend.

"Not before I have mine." Nadine began to move in an effort to stand. 

Chloe grabbed Nadine's hands and held her steady. "Whoa there, tiger." Together, they stood up and Chloe kept hold of Nadine's left hand and held an anchoring hand at her hip. She watched as Nadine opened and closed her eyes several times before seeming to focus on her. "How many of me do you see?", Chloe asked with a slight smirk.

"Um, three." She was only half kidding.

Chloe responded with a chuckle. "Well, rules say you should kiss the one in the middle." 

Nadine didn't hesitate as she leaned in just a bit to meet the other woman halfway. Chloe's relief was evident in the soft sigh she emitted as they shared a short kiss. It was mostly a pressing of lips, but it was affirmation enough for them both. As they moved apart Nadine took a cleansing breath and stepped back fully, once again feeling steady on her feet. Dark brown eyes flashed to Nate at her left. 

"What did you do with my Spaz, Drake?" Her words came out clipped.

He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "You can totally have it back." He quickly whipped off the shoulder strap and passed the tactical shotgun to Chloe, who he figured didn't t want to kill him -- at least not immediately. 

There was a silent exchange of glares between Nadine and Nate as she finally got her gun back. 

"Well, now that everyone is still alive, you kids think we can get back to the task at hand?"

All eyes fell to Sully who stood with his arms folded across his chest. Sully's gruff voice snapped Sam into action. 

Sam clapped his hands together and waved them towards a small Baroque marble-topped table. Atop it sat a small chest that was welded to the table. He pointed towards a faint wire that ran along one of the gilded bronzed table legs. "Pretty sure that's going to open a stairwell. We saw the blueprints on this place and let's just say, it's basically holding up this valley."

"Well, let's get this damn thing open and get going." Nate looked at his watch. Our next check in is in less than an hour, so this is all or nothing." He glanced towards Chloe. 

"Nadine's good at what she does." She subtly bumped her shoulder. "The information's good."

Nate couldn't quite meet Nadine's eyes, still embarrassed by his actions and mostly just confused. When they got out of this, they were all going to have to have long conversation filled with apologies and explanations. Although, as he watched the two women around each other, he realized he didn't need that much of an explanation. He nodded in Nadine's direction and then moved to pick the lock on the box. He solved the quick lock and sure enough, the right wall slid away and revealed a stairway. Smiles filled the room, before Nate took point and they all descended the stairs.  
________________________________________

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena's been kidnapped and Nate's called in the cavalry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Previously:_  
>  He solved the quick lock and sure enough, the right wall slid away and revealed a stairway. Smiles filled the room, before Nate took point and they all descended the stairs.

**Part IV. Rescue Rangers**

The small group moved single file down a narrow hallway carved out of rock for about fifty feet, until the tunnel widened out into cavernous round. Chiseled out rock gave way to restored paint of a soft yellow hue on top and tan on the bottom. As the hallways widened, Nadine's soft steps matched Nate's as they both took point and moved down the corridor, pistol and shotgun at the ready. Sam took the rear, while Sully and Chloe were sandwiched between. With careful steps, they made it to a grand room which was now a warehouse of sorts. They also found two guards who were chatting with one another. Nate went right while Nadine went left. Nate's exuberant grappling was not as graceful or as quick as Nadine's choke hold, but they got the job done. Nadine snagged the guard's radio and handed it off to Chloe. 

A garbled voice came through the speaker. "Is anyone else's Czech better than mine?" Chloe asked with a shrug. The voice cracked across the line once more.

Nadine rested the barrel on her shoulder and nodded towards a hallway to the right. "They seem to be patrolling a room in the East wing."

Chloe turned impressed gray eyes on her partner, while her lips curved into a smug smile. "You holding out on me, china?" Chloe turned the volume down and clipped the walkie-talkie to an empty belt loop.

"it's not exact." Nadine just shrugged a shoulder as she surveyed the room with sharp brown eyes. "But my German is impeccable." Her answer was casual and mostly free of anything that might have seemed like self-adulation. She was only being truthful. 

Chloe wished once more that they weren't in the middle of a high stakes rescue. If the circumstances had been different then she wouldn't have avoided Nadine's eyes. As it was, she turned her attention to Nate. "How do we play this? Guns blazing or stealthy?"

Nate, too, was surveying the room and he followed Nadine's line of sight up above a stack of crates. "That's probably a duct right?" He addressed Nadine, who nodded in the affirmative. 

"We don't know the duct work, but it probably covers this whole cavern." She slipped her arm through the strap on her shotgun, so that it rested on her back, before pulling out her silenced Sig Sauer and pulling back the slide to make sure the chamber was clear and ready for use. "We'll go in quiet and see what we can see." She met Nate's eyes and he nodded in agreement.

"That works for me." He glanced at his brother and Sully. "Just get her out, that's all I care about."

"We got you, Nate." Sam clapped his brother on the shoulder before Nate readied himself to climb the crates. Once he reached the top he called down, "If this shit goes sideways," he began.

"We'll get Elena out, Nate. Promise." Chloe's voice carried back up to him with confidence. He gave a grim smile and then eased off the frame of the duct before climbing through. 

They watched his feet disappear before Sully spoke. "You kids ready?"

"Let's go get the girl," Chloe said with a wink before she followed behind Nadine down the hallway to the right. 

________________________________________  
Technically, things hadn't actually gone sideways. 

On the other hand, the stealthy plan had gone out the window the minute they saw how outnumbered they were and Elena was in too precarious of a spot-- in the middle of the room tied to a chair. Nate wasn't going to be happy about the fat lip she was wearing, but the consolation seemed to be that one of her captors had a black eye, so it wasn't all bad. 

Resigned to the fact that the stealth option was out, (way too much room to account for and no cover in the round room), and the guns blazing route was never really an option, the nuclear plan was the only thing left. 

Nadine had rubbed hard at her furrowed brow and reminded herself for the third time why getting Sam and Chloe together was always a terrible idea. Granted the payoffs had been amazing, but the level of stress and the near-death misses were just too high for even the most sane person. Sully's arched eyebrow was the only sign that the seasoned adventurer was on her side. However, common sense be damned, they all knew that cocksure and seemingly crazy might be the best bet.

Nadine crouched in the entry way and found a shadow to hide in while Sam and Chloe went to work. If need be, (which was inevitable), she was going to make a sniper rifle out of her pistol. 

Chloe just waltzed right into the room, hands up in mock surrender, lopsided grin firm on her lips, and mischief in her voice. A simple, "Hello, boys" drew all the attention and all of the guns. It was only decades of training and months of trust that kept Nadine from firing every round she had. 

A slender red head dressed in army fatigues, with a startling scar that traversed the right side of her face from her hairline all the way to her left cheek, responded to Chloe's entrance with a sliver of a smile. "Let me guess, you've lost your way from the tour." She squinted her eyes, both the milky white one and the blue one. "Do I know you?" Her accent was thick.

Chloe dropped her arms to her sides. "Believe me, I'd remember your face." Her tone was far from sarcastic. The aiming of guns and safety releases echoed in the room. Sully put his hand on the back of Nadine's vest to keep her steady. 

The red head only sucked her tooth in response. "Are you really making a joke?" There was a practiced hurt in her voice that clearly came from years of relentless teasing. 

Chloe softened her features and dropped her smile. "Course not. I'm serious, I have a thing for chicks with scars." Chloe winked and she imagined correctly that Nadine was rolling her eyes. 

The red head opened her mouth to respond, when a bearded man dressed in her same gear barked out a stream of words that Chloe clearly didn't understand. 

Nadine whispered into her comm link. "He wants to shoot you, so you should probably get a move on."

Chloe's hands were up in a position of surrender once more. "Look, let's cut to the chase. I've got something you want and you've got something I want." 

The red head stepped to the left to reveal the seated and bound Elena Drake. 

"Hey there Sunshine, you alright?" Despite the circumstances, Chloe was genuinely happy to see Elena. They had planned to get together, but things had been hectic as of late. Relief was evident in blue eyes, even if the gag kept her from answering. "We'll be out of here in no time."

The red head laughed. "You are so confident. If I don't get what I asked for then I'm afraid no one is getting out of here."

"And I said I have it." Chloe went to reach for a pocket on her thigh. Guns cocked once more.

"Easy boys. Just need to get what we're all here for."

Nadine scanned the room and silently told Sully to go to the left. Her plan was to head right up the middle where she had clear shots at the two men with sniper rifles. She still hadn't spotted Sam. "Whatever you two are about to do, do it fast. She's about to call your bluff." Nadine's whisper came through their earpieces. Truth was, only Nate had some idea of what they were even after and not a one had bothered to asked. They didn't even know if it would fit into the pocket of Chloe's cargos. 

Chloe knew the red head didn't believe her, but she didn't stop her slow reaching for the pocket on her thigh. It was really just about positioning. She locked eyes with Elena and gave a tiny tilt to her head. 

An explosion of light and sound ripped through the room as the responding flash bang set everyone in motion. While Chloe's pointed chatter had drawn eyes and focused gun barrels, Sam had used the momentary distraction to send two arcing flash grenades in opposite directions. The first scattered the largest gathering of guards that seemed to be crowded near a a console. The other throw focused on the back corner, where others milled about. 

As light and smoke filled the room, Chloe charged towards Elena and toppled the woman to the ground. She would apologize for the extra bruises later, as they hit the ground and she could hear the tell-tale crack of wood. Even though her hands were still tied, Elena kicked out of her chair, and she and Chloe scrambled to the right, away from the pops of gun fire. A line of wooden crates alongside a wall was their only safe cover. 

In the infinitesimal second between Chloe's head tilt and the burst of light and sound, Nadine was rising from her crouched position and firing her pistol. The first sniper dropped just as the first grenade hit, immediately followed by the second. The ensuing chaos muffled the sound of their bodies hitting the ground. Not that it mattered anymore, as the sound of rapid gun fire echoed in the room. 

Sully had watched the arc of the grenade and took aim with his magnum to clear Sam a path. 

Before her ears even registered the sound of an empty chamber, Nadine was already pulling out her modified glock and firing at kneecaps, since those were the easiest to see in the dissipating smoke. She spotted the red head taking aim towards Chloe and Elena, once they cleared the crates on the far wall and headed towards the entrance to the hallway. Nadine got off her shot even as a shoulder crashed into her side, knocking her off balance. The bullet missed its original goal, but ripping through her throat was the next best thing- granted it was more painful, but that hadn't been her intention. 

Nadine was rolling with the flurry off enraged punches raining down on her head. She purposely dropped her guard and caught hold of her assailants right wrist. With a quick twist and a flawless takedown, she toppled the man and had him locked in an arm-bar. She wasted no time in using her leverage to dislocate his shoulder and snap his arm at the radius. The gun fire was coming in slower and in more precise bursts, which she realized meant that perhaps their rag-tag crew had evened the odds a bit. 

Elena's strangled call for Chloe focused her attention away from Sam and Sully and back towards the exit. 

Why on earth did men always go for the chokehold Chloe wondered, even as she was being hoisted up in the air by her throat by a man who was nearly a foot taller. She kept tight hold of his wrists and knew the fall was going to hurt as she kneed him in the jaw. Unfortunately, he only staggered back and kept hold of her throat. 

Sully moved towards Elena as Nadine snatched the shotgun from her back and headed towards Chloe. With a sure grip, she held only the stock and swung the shotgun like Louisville slugger at the man's kneecap. He buckled, but not before Nadine cracked the barrel of the gun against his skull in an effort to make sure he went down. Chloe hit the ground with a thankful thud. A joke was on the tip of her tongue when she saw the gun. 

Nadine had been reaching out to offer Chloe a hand, when she spotted the boots that didn't belong to Sam. The gun pressed to the back of her head was no surprise. 

"Everyone stop fucking moving." His left arm was limp and distended at his side, but his right arm was clearly in tact. "Drop the gun."

With gritted teeth, Nadine let the shotgun clatter to the floor. She narrowed her eyes at Chloe, who looked as if she wanted to pick up the gun. "Just get Elena and go."

Chloe's brows knitted together in defiance as she pushed to her feet. "No. Way. We all walk out of here."

"No one is going anywhere!" His gruff voice boomed in Nadine's ear as he pressed the barrel into her skull. 

Chloe glared at the man and balled her hands into fists. "Why don't you take it easy, mate." Chloe relaxed her hands and took a breath. "No one else needs to get hurt."

"I think we are past that at this point." He briefly glanced at Elena who stood with Sully by the door. Sam had his gun trained on him. "I want what we came for."

"And you can have it, man." Chloe's voice was steady. "Just let her go and let us walk out of here."

His chuckle was free of mirth. "Bullshit. You never had it, so nothing changes. I'll just keep this one until I get what I want." 

Chloe looked over at Sam, whose eyes were focused towards the ceiling and moreover, towards the ducts. She needed to buy time. Gray eyes swept over her partner and the man at her back. There wasn't a muscle on Nadine that wasn't tensed. They both knew that at even a hint of an opening she would send her elbow back into his sternum and then an elbow to his throat. At the moment, the gun pressed snug against her skull didn't leave much room for error. 

"And I agree with you." She held her hands out at her sides making it clear that she didn't have any weapons. "I'd like to propose a switch though."

He chuckled dryly. "Fuck you."

Chloe smirked. "Just take me, or even him over there." She jerked her thumb towards Sam. The bearded man just snorted and didn't dare look in Sam's direction. "I'm telling you that Nathan Drake's not going to be motivated by that one there." She nodded at Nadine. "She's a terrible hostage and they hate each other's guts." 

"So, fine I'll just shoot her and take you."

"Whoa! Whoa, there!" She held her hands up, palms out in a sign of stop. "That is definitely not the plan. I said swap." 

Nadine crossed her arms across her chest defensively and leered at Chloe. "Frazer! Are you serious? This is a terrible plan." 

Now Chloe crossed her arms and stomped her foot petulantly. "How can you say it's terrible if you don't know it won't work?" She tapped her forehead in an attempt to cover the fact that she was pointing up. 

Nadine rolled her eyes at her antics. She had surmised as much when she caught sight of Sam in her peripheral vision gesturing up. The were just below the duct work. "How many of your plans actually work?"

Chloe scoffed. "My plans always work out, darling." 

"Do they really?" Her look was one of skepticism. 

"If you two keep this up I'll shoot you both." The man growled from behind. 

"And then I'll blow your damn brains out and none of us will be going anywhere." Sam called out as he moved closer with his rifle pointed at the remaining man's face.

"Where is Drake?"

"You know how he likes to be fashionably late." Chloe answered.

"He's probably scaling a tower right now to make some grand entrance." Nadine grinned at her own joke.

"Wait, this place does have a tower right?" Sam asked, as he looked up. 

The sudden action got the desired response, as the man looked up. Nadine swung her fist down and connected with the sensitive appendage between the man's legs just as the duct work broke free. Nadine fell away as Nate came crashing down from above. 

Nate's knees connected with the man's neck and upper back which sent them all the floor in puzzle of limbs and sheet metal. Nadine's legs were trapped under the weight of both men, which made it impossible to scramble out the way of the falling metal. Nadine covered her head as a boxy vent broke loose from its hinges. Her arms took the brunt, but she could feel her earlier wooziness returning. Chloe was up and dragging her free before another larger piece of tubing fell from the rafters. Nate was groaning as he rolled off of the now unconscious man beneath him. Sam was hoisting him to his feet just as Elena was was headed towards him with open arms. 

Chloe rolled Nadine onto her back in a replay of much earlier. She touched her cheek with gentle fingertips and smiled. "I know you're awake, so quit playing."

Nadine kept one eye closed and opened the right eye just a sliver. Chloe's cocksure grin filled her limited field of vision. "This plan was still terrible."

Chloe let out a relieved laugh. "I don't know, I think Sam and I had a great idea." She winked at the other woman and stood up before helping Nadine to her feet with an easy tug. 

Nadine wobbled a bit before Chloe's sure hands at her hips steadied her. "I've got you." Chloe touched their foreheads together. Nadine held onto Chloe's biceps as she found her equilibrium. She stepped back. "You good?" Chloe asked softly. 

Alert brown eyes met Chloe's eyes and Nadine nodded. "I'm good."

Nate cleared his throat and broke the small moment. Elena was nestled against his side. "Hey, uh, I just wanted to thank you." He was focused on Chloe until an obvious pinch to his side made his eyes veer to Nadine. "I wanted to thank you, both. And well, all of you for your help." 

"That's what friends do." Chloe reached out and gave him a playful punch to the shoulder. "But be clear, if this was other way around we would've left you." She winked at Elena. 

"She is so not wrong," Sam added with a laugh.

"That hurts, bro."

Sam ruffled his brother's hair in response. 

Nate just grinned, honestly happy that he could call these people family. He turned his attention back to Chloe and Nadine. "And about before," he paused and glanced at Elena before continuing. "I'm sorry about hitting you." He met Nadine's eyes.

Nadine relaxed her jaw as Chloe gave her shoulder a subtle nudge. "No worries. I'd've done the same thing. You got the drop on me." She shrugged a shoulder. Her lip curled into a small smile. "It won't happen again." 

Nate managed an uncomfortable chuckle, before changing the subject. "Which reminds me, Elena, this is -

Elena cut him off by extending her hand. "Nadine Ross." Nadine put her hand out with an arched eyebrow as they shook hands. "I know who she is." She smiled brightly at Nadine and then gave a little nod to Chloe. "And thank you, for everything," she added as the handshake ended. "And also, sorry he's such an asshole." 

Her words were teasing and Nadine couldn't hide her smile. She held in her laugh. "It's okay, I'm kind of an asshole myself." The two women shared a conspiratorial smile. Nadine's ears pricked as she heard Chloe take a breath. "Not a word, Frazer." A quick hand swatted Chloe playfully on the arm.

A wide-eyed Chloe threw her hands up in mock-indignation which sent them all into a short round of laughter.

"If you kids are done exchanging pot roast recipes, I would love to get the hell out of here." Sully's voice boomed from the doorway. 

There were murmurs of agreement as they made quick work of retracing their steps and heading for daylight.  
________________________________________  
**Part V. Escapes & Epilogues**

Chloe handed over the keys to the Landrover without so much as a murmured grunt of disappointment. She let Nate and Elena gingerly settle into the third row of seating which left the middle row, comprised of three seats, for she and Nadine. Sam rode shotgun and Sully happily drove, headed back to Prague, and eventually the airfield. 

When Chloe stretched her long legs out along the seat to allow for Nadine to settle between her legs and use her as both bed frame and pillow, Nate grinned and realized his mistake. Although, with Elena curled into his side and mostly on his lap, he wasn't complaining. While they were all a little banged up, they were alive and luckily none of them would have to endure a hospital stay, for once. 

Chloe had finally shed her vest and used it as a headrest as she closed her eyes and let the tension and chaos of the day expel from her body in a breath. She kept her left arm entwined around Nadine's arm and draped over her unfairly smooth abdomen. She too, had shed the lite-weight armored vest, so the soft cotton of her t-shirt was all that was between Chloe and the feel of the other woman's skin. There would be time for that later, but for now she was content to have her partner and her friend in her arms once more. She had initially been hesitant to go down this road with Nadine, not because she didn’t' want the woman, but because of what it meant. 

It meant she had to be responsible. It meant she had to be accountable. It meant she had to stay still. 

Nadine turned in her arms a bit, her breath warm against the hollow of Chloe's neck, causing her to shiver with the promise of things to come. She squeezed tighter when Nadine threaded her fingers through Chloe's, physically cementing their embrace. Even if Chloe had wanted to get up, she was now tethered to the other woman. A wry smile graced her lips before she pressed a soft kiss to Nadine's temple and used the fingers of her free hand to smooth away frizzy tendrils of curly hair from Nadine's forehead. 

Chloe's long fingers gently played with the curly strands of Nadine's ponytail and she didn't even notice her hum of contentment, as she got comfortable against the leather upholstery. Upfront, Sam and Sully chatted aimlessly, trading war stories and rumors, as they enjoyed cigars. The sun was just breaking over the horizon and bruising the Bohemian sky with purples and oranges and weeping yellows. She looked down once more at her position and just smiled. 

If Chloe was a hurricane then Nadine was a river. Sure, she was steady, but her currents ran deep, and if necessary, there was nothing she couldn't overpower. It was that stubborn resolve that kept them together in the Western Ghats so many months ago ,and it was because of that, that despite Chloe's inclination to run or just sabotage the whole thing, she knew she couldn't. And perhaps a few late night/early morning calls to Elena had worked well to remind her of all she had to gain and even lose, if she was to be a "stupid asshat" and "do something foolish". Elena was a good friend and she was right. 

Chloe let her head loll to the side and she caught Nate's eyes. An exhausted Elena was wrapped around him tight and he around her. Nate had only small snatches of moments with Chloe and Nadine together, but he recognized a bit of himself in the dark-haired woman. He recognized that look on her face because he had once let Elena walk out of his life and he had regretted it for years. He had fooled himself into thinking that he was better off, until she showed up to save his ass---once again. He thought back to the feral look in gray eyes and the way her teeth were practically bared at him when he had gloated over knocking out Nadine. Maybe Chloe was just smarter than him and she had figured it out already. 

He grinned and nodded at her. "You good?", he asked quietly.

Chloe nodded back. "I'm good." Reflexively, she pressed her lips to Nadine's forehead and hugged the woman closer. She looked back up at Nate. "I'm more than good." 

This time Nate's smile was all teeth. "Then I'm happy for you. And you know you owe me a story at some point." He let his head fall back against the cushion and he closed his eyes. 

Chloe chuckled softly. "I'm sure Elena can tell you or maybe Sam. Maybe even Sully." She grinned wickedly and nestled her head against the window.

Nate pouted. "Good grief, does everybody know?" 

"Are you two going to talk the entire time?" Nadine's raspy voice rose up from the seat as she shifted and settled once more against Chloe's body.

From the back seat, Elena chimed in with an equally groggy, "seriously."

Both Chloe and Nate had the good sense not to respond as they merely shared a smile. There would be time enough later to talk themselves into a stupor over expensive cocktails, perhaps surrounded by palm trees, sand, and clear blue water. 

Soon, Nate was snoring lightly and Sam and Sully were snickering softly about some shared joke. The tinted windows of the truck muted the rising sun, but still managed to cast a soft orange glow across Nadine's skin. Gray eyes appreciatively roamed her partner's body, as she followed the path of the sun. Her lips curved into a soft smile once more and her eyelids drooped. She had told Nate the truth: she was more than happy. Chloe wrapped both arms around Nadine and finally closed her eyes. 

It would only be a few hours later when they finally made it back to Amsterdam after goodbyes and hugs and promises to check in soon. The two women wasted no time in making up for lost time, as the adrenaline and chaos of the previous 48 hours propelled their bodies through the front door. Nadine's clothes were barely off before Chloe had her bent over the arm of the couch and whimpering, with the first of what would turn out to be multiple releases. Eventually the trail of clothes would lead to the impossibly soft Egyptian cotton sheets and the plush comforter that would just get in the way. 

Chloe and Nadine were still early enough in their relationship that half of the fun was learning each other's bodies and wrestling for control. Sometimes Nadine would give in easily and at other times she'd resist just enough to make Chloe's demands turn into pleas. Tonight they were somewhere in the middle.

Nadine let the moonlight and the ambient street lights map the path of her hands and lips across Chloe's body. Where the soldier was often quiet and less effusive, Chloe was unbridled and unrestrained in a way that would've made Nadine self-conscious, if it wasn't for the fact that she was the one responsible for Chloe's reactions. Of all the bumps and bruises she would endure, the visible reminders of the tiny half-moons of the former thief's nails on her skin were among her favorites. Although, they were certainly going to have to negotiate the biting. However, for the moment, the paradox of pain and pleasure passed between them both, as Chloe rode out her second orgasm with her legs wrapped tight around Nadine's waist and her teeth biting into the flesh of her shoulder. With a soldier's discipline, Nadine kept up her relentless pace until Chloe let out a desperate gasp and the taut muscles of her thighs finally relaxed. Sweaty and spent they would collapse into the sheets and whisper secrets to each other until sleep claimed them both. 

Morning would bring the welcome routine of yoga and tea and espresso once more. Chloe took her usual perch on the couch and watched through the glass as she sipped her now tepid tea. She admired the sight of her nail and teeth marks from the night before, as the dark blue racer-back sports bra put many of Nadine's best assets on display. Maybe she was still caught in the haze of pleasure, but she was beginning to suspect that Nadine was teasing her, or at least daring her to break their tacit agreement. 

Chloe pushed aside her notes on an artifact in Seville and put down her mug. She nibbled on her lip and waited out a whole sun salutation before she stood up and headed for the glass doors. When Nadine moved into a totally out of order downward dog, she knew she was being baited. With a lascivious grin, she slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the patio. Clearly, they were reopening negotiations for the length of her "ban". 

_Fade out._


End file.
